Hinge



Nov. 30, 1937.

A. ENSSLINV HINGE Filed Oct. 15, 1936 Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

My invention relates to hinges for house doors, gates, and other swingable elements, and has particular utility for use in connection with doors of unusual weight, including those employed in refrigerators and safes wherein a maximum of V strength and smoothness of operation is imperative, but these uses are not exclusive.

Heretofore it has been attempted to construct hinges by interengaging two helically wound untwisted strips, with the result that the coils or helices of one member of the hinge engaged the coils of the other member edgewise, thus affording a bearing surface limited in area to the thickness of the material of the coils, which resulted in inadequate stability of the hinge when employed upon doors ,of substantial weight. When it was attempted to cure this defect by increasing the thickness of the material of the coils it was found impractical to mechanically wind the material, and when recourse was had to casting the material of the coils, the weight of the hinge members was excessive, and the coils under strain were subject to the fractures characteristic of all cast metals.

The essential objects of my invention are stability, extensiveness of bearing areas, amplitude of space available for lubrication, smoothness of motion, and relative lightness of weight.

Further objects are to render unnecessary both axial cores or trunnions and door springs.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be hereinafter adverted to.

To the above recited and indicated ends primarily the present invention consists in such parts and combinations of parts as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a door and the adjacent portion of a structure in which the door is mounted showing hinges of the present invention applied thereto,

Figure 2, an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of said structure and door including one of the hinges, the door being closed,

Figure 3, a similar elevation of the same, the door being open,

Figure 4, a fragmentary plan view of one of the hinges,

Figure 5, a horizontal transverse section on line 5-5 of Figure 2, and

Figure 6, a diagonal, transverse section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the views.

In the drawing [0, represents a structure pro.- vided with a door opening II, and a door l2here.

in shown as supported in the opening byv hinges; l3, both of like construction. The number of hinges may be one or more. In this instance; a

blind clearance, as at IQ, is afforded by a bevel,. inclined transversely and longitudinally in the:

top edge of the door.

Each hinge I3- is composed of two interengaging hinge elements I! and I8. Element l1 comprises upper and lower terminal leaves ZItincluding laterally extending vertically disposed attaching portions 2 l, and forwardly directed planeflange portions 22 integral with the top and bot.- tom edges of the upper and lower attaching portions respectively. An intermediate; strip 2,3v is integral at its ends with the adjacent lateral edges 24 of the flange portions 22 of the leaves.

The strip 23 which'is of generally spiralform is twisted so that, as shown inFigure 6, the, strip with its constituent twists 25, is indiagonal transverse section, concavo convex, comprising length?- wise of the strip, a curved central or-bodyportion 26 and curved lateral flange portions 21; The axial line 28 of the hinge element or strip 23, as twisted, in this instance, coincides with the bearing face of the body portion 26 of the twisted strip axially thereof.

The hinge element i8 is identical in construction with the element H, but oppositely disposed.

It comprises terminal leaves 30, including attaching portions 3| and flange portions 32. Inv tegral with the latter is an intermediate strip 33 integral with the lateral edges 34 of the flange portions 32.

The strip 33 is so twisted as to be complementary with the strip 23, and has constituent twists 35 engaging the twists 25, and, in diagonal transverse section, the strip is concavo convex comprising body portion 36 and curved flange portions 31, slidably registering respectively with the similar portions 26 and 21 0f the strip 23. The

interengaged strips constitute the body of the hinge.

The leaves 20 and 30 are attached to the door and structure respectively by attaching screws 40 passing through perforations 42 in the attaching portions of the wings.

In moving the door l2 the interengaged helical strips have both a rotary movement and a slightly vertical movement, so that in openingthe door escapes any obstruction in front 'of thelower portion thereof, and the weight of the door serves to automatically return it to its original closed position.

It will be observed that the edges of the interengaging twists have no bearing contact with each other. Instead, the diagonally transversely curved faces of the body portions and of the flange portions of the adjacent spiral strips 23 and 32 have nonedgewise contact with each other.

The avoidance of edgewise contact of the twists permits the employment of easily twisted thin material in the hinge elements without danger of collapse, particularly in heavy doors.

The diagonally transversely curved construction described furnishes increased contacting bearing areas of the interengaging strips relatively to their width thus increasing the strength and stability of the structure.

The increased extent of the bearing areas of the strips affords maximum areas for the distribution of lubricant upon their contacting surfaces.

In the diagonally transversely curved construction of the strips above described the curved flanges contribute to the intimacy of their interengagement and tend to resist strains transversely of the hinge.

The flanges 22 and 32 maintain the interengaging strips in a vertical position whereby the body of the hinge is not subjected to any lateral strains, and the twists of the body are enabled to extend to the extremities of the constituent strips of the body.

I claim:

1. In a hinge, a plurality of spirally twisted and interengaged strips providing face bearing contact with each other.

2. In a hinge, a plurality of strips spirally twisted longitudinally with the twists interengaged to provide face-to-face bearing contact with each other, and terminal leaves upon the strips.

3. In a hinge, a plurality of strips spirally twisted and interengaged with face bearing contact with each other, and attaching leaves carried by the strips.

4. In a hinge, thin twisted complementary bearing strips of diagonally arcuate form having their peripheral edge faces exposed, and attaching means supported by the ends of the strips.

5. In a hinge, a body comprising two strips spirally twisted longitudinally with the twists interengaged with each t er and in slidable contact with each other throughout their lengths, and attaching means carried by the ends of the strips.

6. In a hinge, two thin complementary interengaging twisted strips concavo convex in diagonal section comprising bearing faces interengaged throughout their areas and edges out of contact throughout their lengths, and terminal attaching means carried by the strips.

7. In a hinge, a body comprising two interengaging spirally twisted strips, each of the strips being nested in the other strip in face bearing contact therewith, and terminal attaching means carried by the strips.

8. In a hinge, two complementary interen gaging twist-ed strips comprising central longi-' tudinally disposed body portions, and lateral transversely inclined flange portions, the body portion and flange portions of one strip having bearing contact with the entire areas of the body portion and flange portions of the other strip, and terminal attaching means carried by the strips.

angles to the attaching portions and integral with the ends of the strips.

10. In a hinge, two spirally twisted strips interengaged throughout their lengths, and leaves comprising attaching portions disposed in a vertical plane, and flange portions disposed in horizontal planes, said flange portions being laterally integral with the ends of the strips.

ADOLF' ENSSLIN. 

